Changes
by hayley76
Summary: Changes abound at OPA with romance, heartbreak, intrigue, secrets, lies, betrayal, and unlikely alliances forged. No one ever makes it through changes unscathed, but will they be able to come out the other side stronger for the experience and will love be enough to see them through?


**A/N: Welcome to a brand new story for me. I hope you like it as much as P&C. I wanted to play around with something different. **

**As always, I own only the characters Shonda didn't create. I get paid nothing but the fan love and in reader reviews, follows, and faves (so keep them coming)! **

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**Choices **

**Chapter 1 - Who Knew?**

Harrison Wright walked into his office at Pope and Associates and slammed his door. The meeting with the senator had gone to hell fast. He'd broken the one rule they had – don't lie. Senator Marcus DeVines had done exactly that. He'd lied. Everything they'd prepped for – the statements, the spin – all of it – was now less than worthless. He swipes his arm across his desk and sent everything scattering to the floor just as his door opened.

"Damn, that stapler must have had it coming."

Harrison didn't even look up. "Get out."

"Yeah, see, I've never really been good at taking orders. Probably what landed me here at OPA. But, whatever, you know. I like it here," she sat down on his leather couch across from his desk. "Why don't you tell me what happened with the senator and let's fix it."

"I'm handling it." His fingers were already running over his face and scalp. He wasn't, not really. He didn't have a damned clue how in the hell he was going to handle it, but he wasn't ready to tell her that.

"Yeah? Tell that to the crystal paperweight that's over by the bookcase. Which, by the way, is really nice. I'm glad it's solid. I guess Liv knew you'd need something that could take a few falls." She got up and started picking things up from where they'd landed.

"Abby, for god's sake," he knew his voice was tense and he was snapping at her.

She didn't stop. Didn't flinch. Just finished gathering and put all of the things back on his desk before she looked at him. "Harrison, let me give you a piece of advice, if you want to sound really scary to someone like me, work harder at it. And make sure I don't know that you don't wear a white hat. Oh, and don't let me know how much you really care. That's the trick, really." She walked out of the office leaving him feeling like a complete ass.

He was replacing the items where they belonged on his desk when she walked back in a few minutes later with his mug, and hers, along with a yellow legal pad. She stood holding the steaming cup out to him. "It's got Kahlua in it. I thought you might need a little booster." She gave him a smile as she went and sat in the wingback chair he had at the side of his desk, the only other chair in his office other than the couch. "Ok, so, let's talk." He must have looked at her as if she were still insane. "Gladiators, Harrison. Over a cliff. Not just for Liv. Let's. Talk."

Harrison nodded and started talking, telling her everything he knew about the good senator from Alabama. When he was done, he leaned back and polished off the last of his coffee. "Damn, that was good, Abs, thanks."

She looked up from her notes. "You're welcome. So, what we have here is a complete and royal mess."

"Yeah, basically. He was good, though, he's covered his tracks everywhere. I mean, how did we not find this out?" Harrison shook his head. "Liv is going to freak when she finds out."

"Liv is gone for the week visiting her family. You and Stephen are in charge and we, and by we I mean you and I, are going to fix this. So, let's fix this." She had her no nonsense game face on and Harrison smiled for the first time all day. "What?"

"You." He replied simply.

She immediately used one of the tissues from his desk to wipe her mouth. "Do I have coffee on my face? What is it?"

"Abby, calm down. You're just… you. You have that look. I was just thinking it was… very you. It suits you."

"Harrison Wright, are you flirting with me?" Her tone had a bit of surprise laced through it.

Harrison shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe I think we spend a lot of time together. We know each other's secrets. We know each other's jobs and lives. We know what we do, what we've done, what we're willing to do – for each other and for Liv. We know we walk that line, Abby. We walk it for Liv and for our clients. We say we wear the white hats and we're gladiators in suits and we do and we are, but really, that white is kind of a lighter shade of gray, and we understand that. So maybe, I think, we're better off being with people who already care about us, who already understand us." He was staring at her, gauging her expressions, reading her – but she was just as good as he was. They'd been trained by the best, after all. Right now, she wasn't giving anything away. He was hoping his fast talking was going to get him what he hadn't realized he wanted, especially since he knew that Stephen also wanted to make a move, but had been holding off. Harrison stood and walked around to the side of his desk, in front of where Abby was sitting and leaned his hips back on the edge of the desk. "So, if I said we go out later, tonight, seven o'clock. I pick you up, take you to the Lafayette Room for dinner, drinks, conversation. Maybe music after? You'd say…?"

He waited, watched her closely as she considered it for what seemed like forever but was really no more than a minute or two. He was taking a chance. A bit one. Abby wasn't one who took these kinds of questions lightly. Not with her background. He knew it. "Not a working dinner," she clarified.

"If you've ever had a working dinner at the Lafayette Room, they were clearly doing something wrong." Harrison kept his hands on the lip of the desk, too anxious needing to reach out to touch her.

"What if I said I'd rather go walk around the mall after? See the reflecting pool, go sit on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial maybe?" He watched her, still studying him.

"Then we'd do that, Abby."

"If I said I didn't want the Lafayette Room? Just Gettysburgers?"

"Gettysburgers it is." He'd never thought of her as one to turn down a night out at one of the metro's exclusive restaurants, but if that's what she wanted, then that's what he'd give her.

She smiled just a little. "Lafayette Room sounds nice. Make it seven-thirty?"

Harrison laughed. "You serious Abby? You're not screwin' with me, right?" He had to be sure. He watched as she got up and put her hand on his chest while snaking her other arm between his body and his arm to reach behind him, drawing her body in close enough he could smell the vanilla and warm brown sugar she always seemed to be surrounded in.

"I'm not _that_ kind of girl, Harrison. At least not before the first date." She pulled back holding his mug in the hand that wasn't on his chest. Harrison started to say something and then shut his mouth. "Make reservations and wear walking shoes. I like the mall at night." She walked to the door, stopped and looked over her shoulder, "and be ready to work in ten minutes. We have a senator to handle." She walked out and closed the door behind her.

Harrison stared at the closed door in shock. In all his years of fast talking, he was rarely rendered speechless, but that's exactly what Abby did to him. She left him utterly and completely out of words.

Abby walked into the kitchen and fired off a text to Olivia before washing the mugs.

_Abby: Do we have an official OPA policy on dating co-workers? _

Abby worried her lip as she got out a few of her stashed ingredients from the cabinets and started throwing them into small bowls. Micro-muffins for the office sounded good. She could make Huck his berry and oatmeal ones. Quinn cran-orange-white chocolate chip. Stephen she'd make scone-like ones– maybe she'd put blueberries in it. He liked those. Harrison… she jumped as her phone chimed.

_Liv: Did Stephen finally ask you out? Where and when and what are you wearing? Do you need to raid my closet?_

Abby shook her head. Seriously? Did everyone think Stephen… she stepped out of the kitchen area and looked over at Stephen's office and saw him bent over his desk reading a file. Sure he was hot – he was Stephen. He was the office rake. She was staring at him when he lifted his head and smiled. She scuttled back around the corner and into the kitchenette.

_Abby: Not Stephen. _

_Liv: Who? Oh God, Abby, Huck?_

Abby nearly choked on the sip of water she'd just swallowed.

_Abby: No! Harrison._

Abby propped up the phone, staring at the screen waiting for the reply – any reply – as she started on her task of making the micro-treats for her friends. She was half-way through the second one when the phone finally rang.

"Hey." Abby rested the phone on her shoulder as she closed the door to the kitchen and continued her task. The one thing that she could use to Zen her mind before going back in there to help Harrison fix the major disaster that was a case about to explode all over everything.

"Abby." She could almost hear her friend pacing. She knew it would be circles – always circles when she was distressed.

"Liv, you're going to wear a hole in the floor. Where are you anyway?" She knew the "going home to visit family" was a lie. She was almost sure that Huck knew two, though they never mentioned it to each other, but they both knew that Olivia's family was long gone. So she was somewhere but wanted to be alone. Abby didn't like it but wasn't about to give her best friend up.

"It's… not important. Harrison? Really, Abby?" Liv's voice was strained. "Harrison is… he's… why not Stephen?" She almost sounded like she was pleading for her to go out with Stephen, the one guy in the office who would date almost anyone. That itself set Abby on the defensive.

"Stephen didn't ask me." Abby took out the small pot of warm goo when the timer beeped and put the third ramekin in the microwave. "Harrison asked. I said yes."

"You're baking. In the office. Where are you going? When are you going?"

"Tonight. Lafayette Room and then a walk around the mall." Abby put the ingredients away and wiped down the counters. "Before you ask, I have no idea and it was his idea."

"Wow. That's… just wow."

"Yeah, I know. Liv, I don't know why. He just… asked in his very Harrison way and I don't know there's… there just could be, you know?" She leaned against the counter waiting.

"Yeah, I know." Olivia's voice was softer. "So, you're…"

Abby laughed nervously. "Oh, I don't know. Feeling worried, scared, nervous, freaked…" She took out the third one and put one last one in and turned on the machine. "I mean, I haven't… not since… what if…"

"Abigail, don't. Don't do this to yourself. Harrison is a _good _man. He's a solid man. You know him. Do not do this." Olivia had her fixer voice in place. "You go out. You have a nice dinner. You don't talk about work or the office or anything else. You let him walk with you around the mall. You might even let him try to kiss you if you want. You have a good time."

"He isn't David." Abby whispered.

"No, he isn't." Olivia admitted. "And he wouldn't have if I didn't ask him to, Abby. That was all on me and I'm sorry for that."

"I know. I don't blame him. It's just odd trying to think of more now." Abby hadn't even admitted that to herself. "He made a good argument."

"He usually does." Olivia chuckled. "He can talk himself into or out of just about anything. If he asked, he's probably talked himself into and out of asking you a thousand times, Abby. Don't let him make it a thousand and one, okay? Just go with it."

Abby heard the ding of the timer. "I'll try Liv. Thanks." She removed the ceramic pot with Harrison's muffin. "Hey, wherever you are. Take care of you, okay? Get back here to us and call. Even if you think you don't need it." She loaded all of the muffins and coffees for everyone onto a tray. "Over a cliff, L."

"I hear you, Abs. Thanks."

"Good. Gotta get these out to everyone. I'll text you tomorrow and let you know how it goes. And thanks Liv."

"Bye."

Abby hung up and slipped it into her pocket and started making her rounds. First Huck and Quinn who were working side-by-side, as usual. She dropped off the muffins and coffee and got a smile from Quinn. Huck had his nose almost pressed to the monitor. Abby nodded.

"You okay?" Huck's gruff, grunt touched Abby.

"Yeah, Huck, I'm okay."

"If you're not…"

"I'm fine."

"Okay, good."

Abby carried the tray over to Stephen's office, knocked once and walked in. "Hey, in the mood for food?" She watched as he stretched for a minute before looking her over with a scrutinizing eye.

"You baked? You okay," he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just thought, you know…" She put the coffee and mini-bowl down in front of him with a napkin and fork. "Be careful, it's hot."

"Thanks." He hesitated. She waited. "Abby…"

"Yeah, Stephen?" She tipped her head, studying him. He had those school-boy charming looks that she'd always admired, but beyond that, she knew he had more layers than a Vidalia onion. Pull one back and there was always another and another and another. Nothing was ever what it seemed with him. Then again, it was never what it seemed with any of them. She was walking, talking, living proof of that.

"Nothing." He nodded at the treat she'd put on his desk. "Thanks for the scone."

"Any time." She headed out with the last two and the coffees and walked to Harrison's office. She put them down on his desk, pulled the chair over and sat down. "Ok, let's do this." She didn't have to look at him to know he was staring at her. She also didn't have to see the nod he'd give right before he started talking.

She didn't want to. If she had, she might have to think about the feelings that were swirling around. Gladiators didn't have feelings. Right now, that's what he needed – a gladiator. That's what she'd be.

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**A/N: And... so...? What do we think? Is there an interoffice romance (or 2) brewing? Where is Olivia and with whom - will we find out? ... Do you like this - do you want more? Leave the 'payment' and let me know! ) **

**~~Haylez~~**


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